CA2109654A1 - Vertical boat and wafer support - Google Patents

Vertical boat and wafer support

Info

Publication number
CA2109654A1
CA2109654A1 CA002109654A CA2109654A CA2109654A1 CA 2109654 A1 CA2109654 A1 CA 2109654A1 CA 002109654 A CA002109654 A CA 002109654A CA 2109654 A CA2109654 A CA 2109654A CA 2109654 A1 CA2109654 A1 CA 2109654A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
wafer
boat
wafer support
silicon carbide
silicon
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA002109654A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Stephen E. Proia
Bryan D. Foster
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Saint Gobain Ceramics and Plastics Inc
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of CA2109654A1 publication Critical patent/CA2109654A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01LSEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/68Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for positioning, orientation or alignment
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C23COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
    • C23CCOATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
    • C23C16/00Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes
    • C23C16/44Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating
    • C23C16/458Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber
    • C23C16/4582Rigid and flat substrates, e.g. plates or discs
    • C23C16/4583Rigid and flat substrates, e.g. plates or discs the substrate being supported substantially horizontally

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)
  • Furnace Charging Or Discharging (AREA)
  • Packaging Of Annular Or Rod-Shaped Articles, Wearing Apparel, Cassettes, Or The Like (AREA)
  • Packaging Frangible Articles (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A vertical rack or boat assembly for supporting and carrying semi-conductor material wafers in a vertical diffusion furnace, the assembly being made up of rack or boat and wafer support rings which fit into the boat.

Description

21~5~

Docket c-2s4a 93RTICAL BO~ ~?D WAFER SUPPORT

~tephen ~. Proia 13 Watson Avenue Worcester, Massachusetts 01606 Brya~ D. Foster 22 Walnut Street Holden, Massachusetts 01520 BACRGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fi ~1 d ?~.,?~E the Invention The invention relates to vertical diffusion furnace~ used to manufacture semi-conductor devices and more particularly, racks or boats used to carry semi-conductor substrates and support means for such substrates.
Descri~tion of the Prior ~rt One phase in the manufacture of semi-conductor devices such as diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits involves the high temperature oxidation, diffusion and/or deposition of thin layers of materials on, for example, silicon wafers. Such processing has been carried out in a variety of equipment types such as those described in U.S.
Patents No. 3,436,255; No. 4,761,134; and No. 4,~02,842.
The first patent concerns the treatment of silicon wafers or the like by first placing the wafers in a refractory rack or boat, which is then located on a transporter or carriex which in turn is pla~ed into a process tube. This entire assembly is then moved into a horizontal muffle furnace which is supplied with heat and the appropriate gas.
The second pakent is a heating element, made of graphite, for an epitaxial deposition furnace. The heating element is essentially flat and rectangular in shape with 0~6~
the wafers to be treated being placed in recesses or depressions in the surface of the graphite heating element, the depressions having a diamater only slightly larger than the diameter of the wafers to be processed. In one embodiment, the recesses or depressions have a shoulder of a somewhat smaller diameter than that of the recess; in this embodiment the wafers rest on the shoulder. Support rings for holding the wafers are also disclosed, the support rings being of a size and configuration to fit into the recesses in the heating element.
U.S. Patent No. 4,802,842 relates to a rack or boat for holding semi-conductor wafer material in the newer type of diffusion furnace which is a vertically oriented furnace and reaction chamber rather than the older type horizontal furnace such as that described in U.S. Patent No.
4,761,134. As is evident from Figures 1, 2, and 3, the relevant disclosure of the reference is a boat or rack which stands vertically, made up of at least three posts with either slots in the posts into which silicon wafers are inserted, or protrusions on the posts upon which the wafers sit during processing, the boat or rack carrying the wafers having been inserted into a vertical furnace. While this vertical boat is clearly an improvement over the prior art, it does exhibit one serious shortcoming viz. because the wafers are supported only on three relatively small surfaces, the resulting wafers emer~e from the process at least substantially stressed/strained and sometimes even distorted as a result of such effectivaly point contact on the edge of the wafers. It is this specific problem which the present invention eliminates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a refractory boat and mating supports for the processing of wafers of semi-conductor materialO The boat is of the vertical type, i.e. configured to fit into a vertical diffusion furnace, and is made up of 2 ~
a high purity refractory material such as high purity sintered silicon carbide, silicon impregnated sili.con carbide, silicon nitride, quartz, alumina, or zirconia, and including any o~ the foregoing coated with a high purity impervious coating of silicon carbide, silicon nitride~ or the like. The wafer supports which are preferably composed of the same material as the boat, are especially adapted to fit into the vertical boat and to carry wafers of semi-conductor material such as silicon. The wafer supports are most conveniently round rings of refractory material which may be split or solid. However, the supports may be a solid disc and may be shapes other tha.n round, e.g. hexagonal, or even square, if the design of the boat will accept such configurations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Figure 1 is an elevated side view of a boat assembly for processing semi-conductor materials wafers, including wafer supports.
Figure 2 is a sectional top view of the boat assembly of Figure 1, taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Re~erring to the drawing, Figure 1 is a boat assembly according to the invention, showing the boat per se as 1, wafer supports 5. The boat 1 is made up of a top plate 3, a bottom plate 4, and at least two and preferably three vertical posts or rods 2 which are joined to both bottom plate 4 and top plate 3. The rods or posts 2 include a series of slots 6 which are spaced equidistantly from the ~ottom plate 4 and are of such a dimension that they will accept and retain wafer support rings 5 in an essentially horizontal position. While the drawing shows the wafer support ring retaining means in the post 2 as slots 6, these retaining means could also be protrusions or ledges on each post, or even pins directed inwardly toward the center of the boat lo 2:L0~6~

The wafer support ring 5 in Figure 1 has a depression 7 therein which is jUSt slightly larger in diameter than the wafer which it is to carry. The depth o~
the recess is preferably just deep enough to prevent the wafer from moving on the support but may be deeper if desired. Figure 2 shows a section through the boat 1 of Figure 1 which presents the wafer support 5 in more detail and its interaction with the boat 1. The ring 5 is a split ring. The purpose of the split is to facilitate the robotic loading of the wafer support 5, and a wafer positioned thereon, into the slots 6 in the posts 2. The split ring 5 could therefor be a solid ring or even a disc as opposed to a ring. The preferred support ring 5 shown in Figures 1 and 2 includes a recess 7 as shown. While this is the more desirable configuration, the ring may be flush on its upper surface, i.e. free of any depression or recess. If both sides of the wafer are to be treated, a disc would not be the most effective support. A still more preferable wafer support desiyn would include one or more aligning notches 8 shown in the wafer support ring 5 in Figure 20 The notches 8 must be slightly larger in width than the width of the vertical rods or posts 2.
The boat 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is of such a size as to accommodate only eight wafer support rings 5.
The boat, in fact, may be of any length that a given vertical furnace will accept. Similarly, the simple design of the boat 1 and wafer support 5 combination of Figur~s and 2 are not to be considered as limiting in any manner.
The boat which preferentially has a round cross section, could be hexagonal, octagonal, or even s~uare, with complimentarily shaped wafer supports. The boat 1 may include, ~or example, a ring as part of or attached to top plate 3 to facilitate mechanized lowering of the boat assembly and wafers into an induction furnace.

Claims (10)

1. A diffusion furnace boat assembly for a vertical semi-conductor wafer furnace comprising wafer supports and a vertical boat with means for maintaining a plurality of said wafer supports in a separated manner, said boat and wafer supports being composed of a high purity refractory material.
2. The boat assembly of Claim 1 wherein said wafer supports are in the form of a solid ring.
3. The boat assembly of Claim 1 wherein said wafer supports are in the form of a split ring.
4. The boat assembly of any one of Claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein said vertical boat and said wafer supports are composed of a material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon impregnated silicon carbide, silicon carbide with an impervious refractory coating thereon, silicon impregnated silicon carbide with an impervious refractory coating thereon, quartz, silicon nitride, and zirconium oxide.
5. A wafer support for use in conjunction with a boat in a diffusion furnace said wafer support having a thin cross section relative to its width.
6. The wafer support of Claim 5, said wafer support being a solid disc.
7. The wafer support of Claim 6, having a recess therein which accommodates a wafer.
8. The wafer support of Claim 5, said wafer support being a continuous ring.
9. The wafer support of Claim 5, said wafer support being a split ring.
10. The wafer support of any one of Claims 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, wherein said wafer support is composed of a material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon impregnated silicon carbide, silicon carbide with an impervious refractory coating thereon, silicon impregnated silicon carbide with an impervious refractory coating thereon, quartz, silicon nitride, and zirconium oxide.
CA002109654A 1992-12-03 1993-11-22 Vertical boat and wafer support Abandoned CA2109654A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US98616192A 1992-12-03 1992-12-03
US07/986,161 1992-12-03

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2109654A1 true CA2109654A1 (en) 1994-06-04

Family

ID=25532141

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002109654A Abandoned CA2109654A1 (en) 1992-12-03 1993-11-22 Vertical boat and wafer support

Country Status (7)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0600516A1 (en)
JP (1) JPH0778777A (en)
KR (1) KR940016668A (en)
CN (1) CN1090344A (en)
CA (1) CA2109654A1 (en)
NO (1) NO934238L (en)
TW (1) TW242196B (en)

Families Citing this family (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2732224B2 (en) * 1994-09-30 1998-03-25 信越半導体株式会社 Wafer support boat
US5618351A (en) * 1995-03-03 1997-04-08 Silicon Valley Group, Inc. Thermal processing apparatus and process
KR100234530B1 (en) * 1996-08-23 1999-12-15 윤종용 Semiconductor wafer boat
US6395363B1 (en) * 1996-11-05 2002-05-28 Applied Materials, Inc. Sloped substrate support
JP3377996B1 (en) 2001-12-27 2003-02-17 東京エレクトロン株式会社 Heat treatment boat and vertical heat treatment equipment
KR100492977B1 (en) * 2002-12-12 2005-06-07 삼성전자주식회사 Wafer boats for consolidation of porous silica layer
US7727588B2 (en) * 2003-09-05 2010-06-01 Yield Engineering Systems, Inc. Apparatus for the efficient coating of substrates
KR100657501B1 (en) * 2004-08-19 2006-12-13 주식회사 테라세미콘 Wafer Supporting Method and Wafer Holder for High-Temperature Semiconductor-Manufacture-Line
KR100953707B1 (en) * 2004-08-24 2010-04-19 생-고뱅 세라믹스 앤드 플라스틱스, 인코포레이티드 Semiconductor processing components and semiconductor processing utilizing same
JP4368356B2 (en) 2006-03-27 2009-11-18 シャープ株式会社 Image forming apparatus and toner container removing method for image forming apparatus
CN102231406A (en) * 2011-06-24 2011-11-02 苏州凯西石英电子有限公司 Quartz boat used in solar energy cell silicon chip production
CN106298616B (en) * 2015-06-04 2019-12-13 有研半导体材料有限公司 Silicon wafer bearing part and method for reducing metal content of high-temperature annealing sheet
SG10201509996UA (en) * 2015-12-04 2017-07-28 Rokko Systems Pte Ltd Improved substrate processing and apparatus
CN107527971A (en) * 2017-08-14 2017-12-29 深圳市拉普拉斯能源技术有限公司 A kind of silicon chip disperser and silicon chip inserted sheet method
CN107954719A (en) * 2017-10-31 2018-04-24 苏州纳朴材料科技有限公司 A kind of SiC carrier preparation methods for LED epitaxial wafer processing procedures
CN108800953B (en) * 2018-08-24 2024-05-17 宁波市北仑区汉朝模具科技有限公司 Material boat and heating pipe cooperation structure of tubular electric kiln

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4386255A (en) * 1979-12-17 1983-05-31 Rca Corporation Susceptor for rotary disc reactor
JPS60152675A (en) * 1984-01-20 1985-08-10 Toshiba Mach Co Ltd Vertical diffusion furnace type vapor growth device
JPS61191015A (en) * 1985-02-20 1986-08-25 Hitachi Ltd Semiconductor vapor growth and equipment thereof

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
TW242196B (en) 1995-03-01
EP0600516A1 (en) 1994-06-08
NO934238L (en) 1994-06-06
KR940016668A (en) 1994-07-23
JPH0778777A (en) 1995-03-20
NO934238D0 (en) 1993-11-23
CN1090344A (en) 1994-08-03

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